A Daunting Task
by Kousagi Moon
Summary: Having seen exactly what the future holds for her, Usagi feels a little nervous. Will a wise King calm her fears? Usagi/Endymion if you squint, but Usagi/Mamoru really


_Not a great story, but I enjoyed writing it and hope you enjoy reading it. Takes place after the Demando incident when Mamoru brings Usagi back to the Crystal Palace. Please review! :)_

* * *

The Crystal Palace was gorgeous and pristine. It was perfect, Usagi thought as she wondered the dark halls. She wondered if she one day too would become perfect like these very crystal walls. From the way everyone talked about her it seemed as if Neo Queen Serenity was pure and an utterly perfect queen. Usagi gulped as she turned the corner, feeling a lot of pressure put on her already weighed down shoulders.

She wasn't sure she could do this - what everyone expects her to do in a time that would probably come sooner than she wanted. It was daunting enough for a young girl to be a superhero, let alone one day Queen of the entire Earth! She wasn't sure she could do it, and frankly the very idea of it all scared her.

The future scared her. It scared her far more than the present danger looming over their heads. Yet it was inescapable, it seemed.

"Can't sleep?" a familiar voice called to her from the shadows. The voice was one she knew well, but held a hint of age to it, which she was still trying to get used to. She wondered if she ever would. _One day, in the future,_ a little nagging voice told her and she cringed. The future was an awfully frightening place to let her mind wonder. Deciding to stay in the here and now she spoke.

"No, I couldn't, King Endymion," Usagi said stiffly as the man appeared before her. She still wasn't sure how she should treat this man dressed in lavender. As a king or as her Mamoru? Weren't they one in the same? Pondering over if she should bow (she'd seen people bow to royals before in movies), Usagi noticed something was different about the King. He was still dressed in his same clothes, his staff held in his hand with the Golden Crystal on top, but something seemed off.

It took Usagi several moments to work out what it was, and the King waited patiently as she did.

"You are…here…" Usagi said awkwardly taking a step closer. Yes, he was certainly there, not a hologram.

"You've always been so astute, Usako," The King smiled gently at her, a hint of amusement in his kind eyes. The mention of her nickname, a nickname reserved only for him (or was it the past him?), she blushed.

"I thought you were injured though, how can you…?"

"I have some strength. Not much." He gazed through the see-thru crystal walls into the night. "The dark energy that is surrounding Earth makes it hard for me to do much of anything…not to mention the injuries."

"Injuries?" Usagi questioned curiously, taking a step closer towards him. "Are you hurt badly?" she asked with true concern in her eyes. She couldn't stand to see anyone hurt, especially not Mamoru, or even future Mamoru for that matter.

"I'll be fine with time," the King responded. He placed his large gloved hand on Usagi's shoulder for a split moment in a comforting act before turning to walk back to what Usagi assumed was his resting area. "You go back to bed, tomorrow will be a big day for you all," he called quietly back to her.

The blonde scrutinized his back as he slowly walked away from her, limping as he went. He was obviously badly hurt and in a great deal of pain. Why was he even out of his resting area? Couldn't he have used his hologram for whatever it was he wanted to do?

Silently she followed behind the wise King, he knew she was following him, but he said nothing. When they reached a large, ornate door the King finally turned to her. "Go to bed, Usako."

"I'm worried." She answered honestly.

"About?"

"About you."

King Endymion sighed before walking into the room leaving Usagi standing out in the hallway, yet she noticed he left the door open a smidge obviously giving her permission to enter in behind him.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low light of the room, but when they did her breath stilled in her body. Before her were large monitors and several fancy gadgets and nobs. She didn't know what this room was for, but she had an idea. "Is this where you project your hologram?"

The King nodded, limping over to the bed, his staff tight in pain as he sat down on the bed. Once seated and the pain began to subside he motioned over towards his right. Usagi turned to see something she'd overlooked in the awe of the gigantic TV. In a little, child sized bed that was obviously not meant for the room (but come to think of it neither was the King's bed), was Chibi-Usa, sound asleep. She couldn't help but smile at the image of the little girl who had caused her so much trouble sound asleep. The little girl who just so happened to be her future daughter no less.

"King Endymion…" she whispered to him, careful not to disturb the sleeping pink haired child.

"Call me Mamoru," he replied just as softly.

Usagi flushed slightly. It felt odd to call this man Mamoru, but that's was who he was, right?

"Mamoru then, I hate to tell a King what to do, but you are obviously badly hurt, you should have Ami look at you. She might be able to do something to fix you up or at least take away some pain."

The King shook his head at his companion. "You all have too much to worry about already; you don't need an old King's problems to be your burden."

At this Usagi edged closer until she was kneeling on the floor in front of the King, who seemed to stiffen at her closeness, "You're not an old King and you're not a burden. You are important too." She spoke honestly. This man, though older and clearly different than Mamoru was still him. He still had Mamoru's brilliant light inside of him and it warmed her.

The King said nothing in return. Usagi gave him a small smile and squeezed his gloved hand, not blind to the electricity between the two of them, just like when she and the present Mamoru touched.

Nodding to the King she rose from her kneeling position and turned to leave, resolved to get some sleep and tell Ami in the morning that the King needed some patching up, despite his protests, but before she could wonder far a hand caught her wrist gently. Turning around she saw the King holding onto her.

"Stay, Usako," his voice was raw and his eyes large and pleading. He was hurting, in more ways than one, she saw.

"But I…"

Moving over on the bed in motioned for her to join him, and hesitantly she did. Together the two sat there in silence, both staring at their daughter who was still sound asleep. After a moment King Endymion grabbed Usagi's hand in his own and brought it up to his lips. He gave her a tender kiss on her smooth skin, and when their eyes met Usagi knew a fraction of the pain he was going through. "I've missed you so much, Serenity."

He missed his wife, Usagi thought dumbly. But of course he missed her. She felt sadness well up in her heart for this poor man, this sweet, sweet man. Her Mamo-chan. She did all she could think of and hug him.

"I'll make it right, Endymion," she told him still locked in the hug. "Don't worry, I'll fix everything. For you and for Chibi-Usa."

The weary King seemed to melt into her small body, going slack as if he'd fallen asleep. When he finally stirred he lay back on the bed and pulled her down with him. Holding her close to his chest he whispered, "Just stay here for the night, Usako," and Usagi nodded, understanding his need to have someone familiar close to him to keep the monsters at bay.

It was some time later that Usagi awoke. The sun had just started to peek inside the crystal walls and she stirred groggily slowly remembering yesterday's many events. She stilled, however, when she felt something having lying across her waist. Opening her eyes wide she peered down at a large arm slung protectively over her slim midsection. It was then she noticed she was pulled against a strong chest; King Endymion's. He looked peaceful in his sleep, she thought briefly with a feeling of joy. Feeling something wriggle on the bed on the other side of her Usagi looked down at her own chest to see Chibi-Usa slung across the bed, a small hand attached to Usa's shoulder. She too looked so peaceful.

"She used to sleep like this with Serenity and I all the time," Endymion's sleepy voice drifted to her ears and she smiled, he pulled her impossibly closer to his chest. "She looks just like you, Usako." He said with pride.

"Mamo-chan…" Usagi called to him sweetly, not even realizing she had just referred to the King as Mamoru, but even if she had realized she doubt she would have cared anymore, "Why where you up walking around last night?"

"Why where you?" she felt his hot breath tickle the hairs on the back of her neck and suppressed a giggle.

She thought she could get used to this, waking up in his arms. _In the future, you will_, the nagging little voice told her again, but this time it didn't sound like such a nag - more like a friendly reminder.

"I couldn't sleep. I was worried."

"About?" Endymion asked.

"You," Usagi told the partial truth. Once she saw the King was injured she had worried about him, so it technically wasn't a lie.

"And about what else?" the King pressed, and Usagi found it hard to lie to him.

"I was worried about the future. It seems all very daunting to me." She spoke with sincere honesty. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head as she spoke and she wondered if she had offended him in some way.

"It is daunting," he finally spoke, "But, you'll always have me."

She didn't try to fight the smile spreading across her face or the fullness in her chest. Leaning against the man she would one day marry Usagi closed her eyes in bliss. "Now," she spoke with her eyes shut, "I told you what I was doing up, now you tell me why you were wondering the hallways."

She felt Endymion grab her hand and squeeze it gently. "I just wanted to feel you, if only for a moment." He admitted. "I love you, Serenity. Usako. Odango Atama."

For a moment Usagi lay there, in between her future husband and her future daughter and she felt a warm feeling in her stomach begin to blossom. She had never felt this feeling before, but she wanted to feel it often.

When she finally left the King's room (thankfully without awake the sleeping Chibi-Usa), Usagi snuck back into the large room she was sharing with the girls and laid her head down on the cool pillow. Closing her eyes to the oncoming dawn she sighed in contentment thinking of both the King and Mamoru who slept down the hall in a room of his own.

Maybe, just maybe, the future wasn't so scary after all.


End file.
